it is going to be hard for me to post for a while because i broke my right arm 10 hours before i had to be at the airport to leave for haiti. i am in haiti right now with a splint on it and i will get cast put on it on monday when i return. my arm is in splint that holds it at a 90 degree bend so i am also in a sling. it is hot, heavy, and swollen but praise God i am not in pain.
if you want to read about some of the stories from here in haiti you can read some of the other blogs of the group i am with.
tammy's
brenda's
diane's
lifeline
livesay's
lighthouse mission trips
some of these are repeats but you can continue to check them this week for more updates. sorry about no capitals it is just too hard with one left hand and the keyboard i am using has a broken caps lock button. lol.
smiles
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
I'm leaving on a jet plane...
By this time tomorrow I will be in the air on my way down to Miami to catch a flight to Haiti. I am excited, nervous, and everything in between. I am not looking forward to getting up tomorrow morning at 3am but I will survive. Maybe I can sleep on the plane. HA! I am sure I will be running on adrenalin until my head hits the pillow Saturday night and then hopefully I can sleep. I am going down with a team of 16 that includes my 2 oldest kids and my mother. Please keep us in your prayers over this next week both for our safety and that we are willing to let God work through us as we reach out to the Haitian people.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thank you!
Thank you for all of the kind words and prayers. My parents asked me to speak at my Grandma's funeral Sunday. They have also asked to have my 4 kids, my sister's 3 kids, and my cousins 2 kids to sing all four verses of Amazing Grace.
This is what I have written for it.
Titus 2:3-5 "Likewise, teach the older woman to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger woman to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."
When my mother called me to ask if I would consider speaking today I knew right away that I wanted to share my memories because of my deep love for my Grandma. I also knew that it would be very difficult because of my deep love for my Grandma.
I am blessed to have many wonderful memories of my Grandma because I grew up so close to her. We lived at the end of a mile long driveway with my Uncle Dan next door and my Grandparents just over the hill from them. Living so close made Christmas mornings a wonderful time. We would drive up the road to Grandpa and Grandma's for breakfast. Uncle Dan and his family and Aunt Carol and her family would also be there. It would smell so good when we entered Grandpa and Grandma's house. Grandpa would be cooking on the electric griddle at the counter bar and Grandma would be busy in the kitchen getting the rest of the food ready. One year for Christmas my Grandma gave Tammy, Julie, and me fabric to make pajamas. Then she had us spend the night at her house and she taught us how to sew the pajamas.
Sleepovers at Grandma's were always fun. Who remembers eating homemade popcorn out of brown grocery bags? How about sleeping on the floor in the back living room in sleeping bags and being woken up every hour from the chiming of the Grandfather clock? I know all of the Grandkids and even some of the Great-grandkids remember the drawer full of toys with the 2 dolls, one dark one light, that never seemed to have any clothes to wear. Then there was trying on Grandma's square dancing stuff, especially all of the puffy skirts. How about the little round wooden tuit? And let's not forget Grandma's cereal cookies.
Grandpa and Grandma also enjoyed going camping. I wonder how many times us grandkids asked for the meaning of the sticker on their trailer that read, "If this trailer's rockin' don't bother knockin'". What did that mean Grandpa? We always looked forward to going along on a camping trip with Grandpa and Grandma. Many of them were spent at Sandy Point. Remember the swimming pool inside the Golden Onion? How about taking a paddle boat out to the little island? Then there was sleeping on a bunk bed that doubled as a cupboard during the day. And toast isn't toast if it isn't black, at least that is what Grandpa would tell us when Grandma would burn the toast. Those were fun times.
Grandma loved to crochet. She taught me how to make a broomstick afghan for my doll like the green and white one on the back of her favorite chair. She also made ponchos for some of us girls. Supposedly I may or may not have ripped mine and then took my sister's to replace it. Sorry Jul.
Grandpa and Grandma put in an in ground swimming pool one summer. Tom, do you remember sitting and watching that being built? How many hot summer days were spent swimming in that pool? How many times do you think Julie could only put part of her body in it because she was wearing a cast on some other part of her body? Remember having contests to see who could do the silliest dives off the diving board? I think even Grandpa may have occasionally gotten in on that fun. We would get so excited when Grandpa and Grandma would give in to our begging and join us in the water.
All of these childhood memories mean so much to me, but a memory that has had the biggest impact on my life is seeing unconditional love lived out between a husband and wife. My Grandparents gave us the greatest gift of all and that is loving God and loving each other in a way that honored God. Thank you Grandpa for the beautiful example of love that you and Grandma gave me. Thank you God for giving me a Grandma that lived out Titus 2. I love you Grandpa! I love you Grandma!
This is what I have written for it.
Titus 2:3-5 "Likewise, teach the older woman to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger woman to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."
When my mother called me to ask if I would consider speaking today I knew right away that I wanted to share my memories because of my deep love for my Grandma. I also knew that it would be very difficult because of my deep love for my Grandma.
I am blessed to have many wonderful memories of my Grandma because I grew up so close to her. We lived at the end of a mile long driveway with my Uncle Dan next door and my Grandparents just over the hill from them. Living so close made Christmas mornings a wonderful time. We would drive up the road to Grandpa and Grandma's for breakfast. Uncle Dan and his family and Aunt Carol and her family would also be there. It would smell so good when we entered Grandpa and Grandma's house. Grandpa would be cooking on the electric griddle at the counter bar and Grandma would be busy in the kitchen getting the rest of the food ready. One year for Christmas my Grandma gave Tammy, Julie, and me fabric to make pajamas. Then she had us spend the night at her house and she taught us how to sew the pajamas.
Sleepovers at Grandma's were always fun. Who remembers eating homemade popcorn out of brown grocery bags? How about sleeping on the floor in the back living room in sleeping bags and being woken up every hour from the chiming of the Grandfather clock? I know all of the Grandkids and even some of the Great-grandkids remember the drawer full of toys with the 2 dolls, one dark one light, that never seemed to have any clothes to wear. Then there was trying on Grandma's square dancing stuff, especially all of the puffy skirts. How about the little round wooden tuit? And let's not forget Grandma's cereal cookies.
Grandpa and Grandma also enjoyed going camping. I wonder how many times us grandkids asked for the meaning of the sticker on their trailer that read, "If this trailer's rockin' don't bother knockin'". What did that mean Grandpa? We always looked forward to going along on a camping trip with Grandpa and Grandma. Many of them were spent at Sandy Point. Remember the swimming pool inside the Golden Onion? How about taking a paddle boat out to the little island? Then there was sleeping on a bunk bed that doubled as a cupboard during the day. And toast isn't toast if it isn't black, at least that is what Grandpa would tell us when Grandma would burn the toast. Those were fun times.
Grandma loved to crochet. She taught me how to make a broomstick afghan for my doll like the green and white one on the back of her favorite chair. She also made ponchos for some of us girls. Supposedly I may or may not have ripped mine and then took my sister's to replace it. Sorry Jul.
Grandpa and Grandma put in an in ground swimming pool one summer. Tom, do you remember sitting and watching that being built? How many hot summer days were spent swimming in that pool? How many times do you think Julie could only put part of her body in it because she was wearing a cast on some other part of her body? Remember having contests to see who could do the silliest dives off the diving board? I think even Grandpa may have occasionally gotten in on that fun. We would get so excited when Grandpa and Grandma would give in to our begging and join us in the water.
All of these childhood memories mean so much to me, but a memory that has had the biggest impact on my life is seeing unconditional love lived out between a husband and wife. My Grandparents gave us the greatest gift of all and that is loving God and loving each other in a way that honored God. Thank you Grandpa for the beautiful example of love that you and Grandma gave me. Thank you God for giving me a Grandma that lived out Titus 2. I love you Grandpa! I love you Grandma!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
My heart is broken.
I was on the phone with my mother (her cell phone) about 2 hours ago when she received a call (on her home phone) from the nursing home where my Grandparents live telling her that Grandma wasn't doing well and they needed to get there. My Grandpa wasn't there either. He was out visiting with his oldest daughter.
My father just called me to let me know that my Grandma passed away at 3pm this afternoon. We knew this day was coming because Hospice had been called in about 2 weeks ago but it is still a shock.
Now I have a very painful confession and why this hurts even more that it happened today. Mark asked me last night if I wanted to go to Holland to see my Grandparents and I said I wasn't really feeling like running all the way into Holland tonight and suggested that we go Friday. I could just kick myself. We knew there wasn't much time left, was it such an inconvenience to have just gone last night? It isn't like she would have even remembered we were there because her dementia had gotten so bad, but I know. Even when I said it to Mark last night in the back of my mind I was thinking "I hope I don't regret that". You see this same thing happened to Mark and I when his Grandma passed away. He had planned on stopping by to see her after work and had a long day at work and decided to just come home and see her the next night. She passed away unexpectantly in her sleep that night. She was still living on her own and volunteer tutoring at a local elementary school.
I know my Grandma is in the presence of Jesus Christ and for that I am grateful!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
A bit of reality for you today...
So what do your kids do while you are in the shower?
I found them all out in the pool when I came downstairs and the dog was in the trash. For those of you now wondering, you can rest assured my 4 precious children were called back inside to clean up that mess.
I dare everyone else to share a little "reality" with us all!
Smiles!
I found them all out in the pool when I came downstairs and the dog was in the trash. For those of you now wondering, you can rest assured my 4 precious children were called back inside to clean up that mess.
I dare everyone else to share a little "reality" with us all!
Smiles!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
A photo Meme
I found this on another blog and thought it looked like fun. I am not going to tag anyone but feel free to join in.
The rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Look who is home...
After waiting through multiple delays to welcome her home...
Melissa finally arrived. She was expected at 6:23pm and arrived at 8:30pm thanks to all the severe weather we had here in West Michigan last night.
But the delay gave us a chance to say hi to Dawn and Cheri who were waiting for their husbands and Cheri's son to return from a mission trip from Gautamala at 10pm.
Welcome home Melissa!
Smiles!
Melissa finally arrived. She was expected at 6:23pm and arrived at 8:30pm thanks to all the severe weather we had here in West Michigan last night.
But the delay gave us a chance to say hi to Dawn and Cheri who were waiting for their husbands and Cheri's son to return from a mission trip from Gautamala at 10pm.
Welcome home Melissa!
Smiles!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Make a wish!
It was my birthday last week Monday. We celebrated it at Cedar Point. I love Cedar Point. Mark would only go on one ride, the sky lift that brings you from the front of the park to the back of the park. Mark doesn't like rides. LOL! I have no idea what I was doing in the picture below.
Kaylyn took the picture and I thought it looked like I was making a wish. That or Mark was pinching me. He is a bully like that. JUST KIDDING! As you can see we are all loving his hammock that he bought himself for Father's Day. Did y'all catch that... he bought it for himself for Father's Day. That is so like him, that's why I love him, he lives to make my life easier.
Let's have some fun. Leave a comment with a caption for the picture. This could be really funny!
Smiles!
Kaylyn took the picture and I thought it looked like I was making a wish. That or Mark was pinching me. He is a bully like that. JUST KIDDING! As you can see we are all loving his hammock that he bought himself for Father's Day. Did y'all catch that... he bought it for himself for Father's Day. That is so like him, that's why I love him, he lives to make my life easier.Let's have some fun. Leave a comment with a caption for the picture. This could be really funny!
Smiles!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Where did I go?
Life is busy! Hopefully it will slow down for a couple of weeks now before I leave for Haiti mid July. Enjoy this picture of us torturing poor Libby at Cedar Point Monday.
Just for the record she chose to ride it and she did ride it a second time after this picture. We were in Ohio for Nationals with Zack for an update on that go here and we stopped of at Cedar Point on the way home.
Smiles!
Just for the record she chose to ride it and she did ride it a second time after this picture. We were in Ohio for Nationals with Zack for an update on that go here and we stopped of at Cedar Point on the way home.Smiles!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Look who's blogging now...
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Another blogger, please welcome her.
My sister-in-love started a blog today. I couldn't be more excited. It is so hard to stay caught up with family when everyone is so busy. Her grandkids are growing up so fast. Please stop by and tell her I sent you and give her a warm "bloggyland" welcome for me.
Smiles!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Running a bit behind...
1. Keep up our 1,000 Gifts List
-3 entries last month
2. Work @ becoming a Proverbs 31 woman
-How do I measure this?
3. Consistent quiet time/devotions
-Not good at all this past month.
4. Memorize scripture weekly
-I have not memorized any scripture this month.
5. Spend 1 on 1 time with each child
-More than last month but not enough.
6. Complete sewn gift for Julie and Leo
-Finished the baby blanket for Emily, their new baby!
7. Build up to run with Anna this summer
-I ran/walked 1 mile with Anna this morning. Wow, that was HARD!
8. Complete knitted gift for Crystal and Jeremy
-Hurray! This one is complete!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
I love this new song!
Warren Barfield - "Love Is Not A Fight"
Lyrics:
Love is not a place
to come and go as we please.
It's a house we enter in
then commit to never leave.
So lock the door behind you.
Throw away the key.
Work it out together.
Let it bring us to our knees.
Love is a shelter
in a raging storm.
Love is peace
in the middle of a war
If we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for.
Some love is a word
that they can fall into.
But when they're falling out
keeping that word is hard to do.
Love is a shelter
in a raging storm.
Love is peace
in the middle of a war.
If we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door.
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for.
Love will come to save us
If we'll only call.
He will ask nothing from us
but demand we give our all.
Love is a shelter
in a raging storm.
Love is peace
in the middle of a war.
If we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door.
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for.
Lyrics:
Love is not a place
to come and go as we please.
It's a house we enter in
then commit to never leave.
So lock the door behind you.
Throw away the key.
Work it out together.
Let it bring us to our knees.
Love is a shelter
in a raging storm.
Love is peace
in the middle of a war
If we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for.
Some love is a word
that they can fall into.
But when they're falling out
keeping that word is hard to do.
Love is a shelter
in a raging storm.
Love is peace
in the middle of a war.
If we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door.
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for.
Love will come to save us
If we'll only call.
He will ask nothing from us
but demand we give our all.
Love is a shelter
in a raging storm.
Love is peace
in the middle of a war.
If we try to leave;
May God send angels to guard the door.
No, Love is not a fight
but its something worth fighting for.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Yard work!
Yesterday I planted four big pots of flowers and raked out the garden one more time so that we could finally get it planted.
It is nice having a "big guy" around to move things...
Zack is carrying this pot up to the deck so that I can plant some tomato plants in it.
I planted two pots like this for by the pool...
and two pots like this for the deck...
Poor Zack, I didn't think of how much heavier they would be after I watered them. I should have waited to water them until they were on the deck.
If you look close, or click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see Mark in the background waiting to finish up the garden with me. Kaylyn and Libby were a HUGE help with the planting. They really "dug in" and helped out.
Mark also finished up the fire pit. He hadn't bought enough stones the first time and had to go back to get more. We already used it Monday night for S'mores with the kids. Of course they loved it.
The fire pit looks a lot like Shelly's and Mark already had the stuff bought before I had a chance to show him the picture of Shelly's. Great minds...
Smiles!
It is nice having a "big guy" around to move things...
Zack is carrying this pot up to the deck so that I can plant some tomato plants in it.I planted two pots like this for by the pool...
and two pots like this for the deck...
Poor Zack, I didn't think of how much heavier they would be after I watered them. I should have waited to water them until they were on the deck.
If you look close, or click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see Mark in the background waiting to finish up the garden with me. Kaylyn and Libby were a HUGE help with the planting. They really "dug in" and helped out.Mark also finished up the fire pit. He hadn't bought enough stones the first time and had to go back to get more. We already used it Monday night for S'mores with the kids. Of course they loved it.
The fire pit looks a lot like Shelly's and Mark already had the stuff bought before I had a chance to show him the picture of Shelly's. Great minds...Smiles!
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